


At the Mercy of Fate

by Glass (CatastropheCouch)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, au where they're a bit older, jk theyre actually important, mentions of other characters that aren't as important?, swearing maybe??, um
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-02-27 15:38:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2698187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatastropheCouch/pseuds/Glass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Gary and Ash finally meet again after Ash has traveled the world, how much that they have grown up is CLEARLY evident. They both vow to become friends and not rivals, as that hurt both of them in ways they don't understand. They don't tell the other that they feel the way they do, but who knows what will happen at the mercy of fate... A Palletshipping story, yay!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prolouge

__

I glanced at the Snorlax clock on the wall, watching the second hand slowly move across the stomach of the Pokémon clock, the slow ticking resonating through the room. I ran my fingers through my thick, spikyu hair, sighing as I did so. I thought he was going to be here by now, I thought anxiously, hoping something had not happened to my best friend and rival. Only Arceus knows what that exuberant and enthusiastic ball of energy could have gotten into. I chuckled, knowing very well what he could do. I hope that Pikachu and that Brock kid have stopped him from doing something so stupid that it would hurt him in any way. He didn’t deserve that.

He really didn’t. He’s such an amazing person, and I knew that from the beginning. His black hair, fashioned similar to mine in bold spikes, was so soft and black as a piece of coal. His sienna eyes, so beautiful and breath-taking, keeping you locked in an intense staring match, never wanting to break contact. His kind and caring personality, not giving a damn about a Pokémon’s history or back-story, just trying to help it, and just be its friend. His smartness, finding a way to win almost every Pokémon battle he had, even if he had type disadvantage. He just didn’t deserve to be hurt, both physically, mentally, or emotionally. No scars deserved to maim his beautiful body or his fighting spirit. 

Little did I know that I may be the one to do just that – have him get hurt, only at the hands of the one he loves. 


	2. Seeing You In a Whole New Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH LOOK   
> two chapters in one day!!  
> actually I have like 6 chapters written and an outline for another chapter so thats good!!  
> but remember this is a just-in-case im stuck on another fic idea  
> so yeah  
> please enjoy!!  
> shoot me a message or fic request at http://fandomsandanimes.tumblr.com

Gary Oak pushed his reading glasses up his nose, reading the scientific report in front of him. _A load of bullshit, as usual. I hired terrible assistants._ He sighed, removing the glasses that made him look even smarter and putting them into the pocket of his lab coat. He took one last glance at the Pokémon egg in the incubator close to his desk before shedding the long white coat and heading towards the door. 

“UMBREON!” he called, flicking the light switch near the door to his office, enveloping his somewhat disorganized office in a veil of darkness. “IT’S TIME TO GO!”

“Um, umbre, breon!” came a small voice near his left leg, and he felt the black cat-like Pokémon brush up against his leg. Gary just chuckled and scratched his faithful Pokémon behind the ears as they continued the hike to the outside world, and then his home.

Once Gary had reached said home, he collapsed on the couch, exhausted from dealing with his assistants, all of whom weren’t the sharpest Tauros of the herd. He pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping that Arceus could somehow turn his assistants into people who actually had brains. _That’s too much to hope for, though._

Getting up, he slowly dragged his fatigued body to the kitchen, or more specifically, his freezer. He picked out one of his favorite frozen meals and tore the box open, almost about to eat it frozen solid. After punching the amount of time needed to cook the food into the microwave and hitting start, he sat down at his, ironically, oak wood table, his head resting in his hands. Umbreon and a little Eevee climbed up next to him and cooed at him, hoping to divert his attention. But it wasn’t the two Pokémon that did. On the contrary, it was the ringing of his video phone, the loud sound of a screaming Chatot filling the air. _Who the hell is calling me at this ungodly hour?!_ He walked over, hoping he was at least decent-looking, and ran his hands through his cinnamon colored spikes. 

“Hello?” he asked tiredly, not paying attention to the name on the screen, until the caller’s face flooded the screen, illuminating my tired (yet totally sexy and handsome) features. I froze, leaf green eyes wide, unable to even speak.

“GARY!” said the voice of the boy on the screen. “Long time no see! How’s Umbreon? Pikachu misses her a lot...” he trailed off as a large mass of yellow, brown, and red fur blocked the young researcher’s view of his old friend.

“PIKA! Pi, Pika, pikachuuu,” the Pikachu on the screen whined, looking for his love.

“U-u-uhhmm, Umbreon’s fine, Ash. And hello to you too Pikachu.” Gary said, his voice sounding more and more irritated the longer he spoke. “Why in the name of Arceus are you calling me at...” he paused, looking at the clock, “11 o’ clock at night?!”

Ash looked guilty. “Ohhh yeahh... forgot Sinnoh time is different than Unova time, heh heh.”

“Ashy-boy,” I said, using the pet name I came up with that peeved off the boy in question so much, “You need to learn to remember the time zones, you idiot.” I yawned, forgetting about the food that had long since been heated up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Ashy-boy,” I said, watching him become annoyed. _Arceus, is he cute when he’s annoyed at – no Gary, not now._ “I am going to go to sleep. Goodnight.” And with that, I hung up. But not before Ash and Pikachu got a good look at the sleeping Umbreon on the oak kitchen table, the little Eevee snuggled asleep in her side, looking quite happy.

Instead of waking the peaceful pair and forcing them to go upstairs to their beds as I usually would, I just trudged upstairs to do what they were doing – sleep. While changing into my pajamas, my mind began to wander. But I only focused on one thing in particular – Ash. _Why did he call me? I mean, not that I’m upset. I got to see his beautiful face again, those breathtaking sienna eyes..._ Suddenly though, I realized I needed to stop thinking about him. _I’m not gay... I can’t be. I will admit that Ash is cute, but I don’t swing like that. Hell, I’ll get some girl hanging on me like her life depended on it every other week._ I sighed, knowing the truth, and the lies, in my words. Although I did get a girl dying over my smartness and my sexiness every week, no girl would tame me, no girl would satisfy me. There was one person, and one person only I wanted. Take a gander at who it is.

If you guessed the black-haired, sienna-eyed boy that had called me just to say hi, then you would be right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn gary is so gay in this chapter idek how that happened >.>  
> oh well  
> i am fueled by the fire of immensely gay anime shippings so huzzah


	3. If You Only Knew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so here's the next chapter! I have 5 other chapters so updates for the next few weeks should be pretty constant! after that, it depends of if my schedule lets me write >.> god I hate school

A bright sun beam hit my face, instantly waking me up.  I groaned and rolled over, shoving my face into the pillow next to me, hoping the blinding light would go away.  But it didn’t.  And soon, the loud sound of my favorite band echoed throughout my room.  I halfheartedly hit the off button on my alarm clock and sat up, stretching as I did so.  My t-shirt that I had worn to bed stretched up with me, barely revealing the washboard abs that I had, thanks to all the working out I did, both on my own spare time, along with some at work.  _Eww, work._   I groaned, and got up to take a nice, hot shower.  _Maybe that’ll wake me up._   And that it did.  As I was washing my cinnamon colored hair, it hit me – it’s Saturday.  I have today off.  _Arceus, thank you._   I sighed happily, almost about to go back to sleep.  But I couldn’t.  So I trudged down to the first floor of my small two-bedroom home, ready to make myself a nice plate of waffles with oran berries.

I smiled as I entered my bright and sunny kitchen.  Umbreon and Eevee were still asleep, cuddled up together. _Funny.  Umbreon reminds me of myself, and Eevee reminds me of Ash.  I wish I could cuddle up with Ash, hug him, hold him close. I wonder if he smells good?_   Crap, I was thinking about Ash again.  Goddammit.  I mentally slapped myself for letting my intelligent mind wander to the cute boy that I had known since I could walk and talk.  I smiled, remembering all the fun things Ash and I did as kids, and the trouble we got into, and continued to do so the whole time I made breakfast.

* * *

After eating breakfast and cleaning my dirty dishes, I thought,  _Hey, why don’t I go out for a walk with Eevee and Umbreon?  It_ is  _a nice day outside._   I decided I would, and gently shook the sleeping pair awake.   _How did they sleep through me eating?  I’ve been told I eat as loud as a Loudred talks._   When they both were up, although a bit bleary-eyed, I said, “Hey, how about we go out for a walk guys?  Does that sound fun?  Maybe we should go visit Professor Rowan today, or maybe Daisy.  Or go call Mrs. Ketchum and see how she is holding up without Ash.  I know she loves talking to us.”  I was greeted with a chorus of “Um, Umbreon!” and “Eevee, veee!” as they both said yes.

“Great, let me go get changed.” I smiled and gently patted the two Pokémon behind the ears and went back upstairs.  I grabbed a pair of tight jeans and my signature purple t-shirt.  After making sure that my cinnamon spikes were gelled and styled to my liking, I went back downstairs, and headed to the door.  And when I opened the door, surprise surprise, Ash was standing there, hand held up, about to knock on my door.  I froze yet again, surprised he was here.

“A-a-Ash?” I stuttered, unable to form any sort of thought or sentence.

“Oh.  Hey Gary.  Using Alakazam to sense me before I knocked?” he joked, smiling widely as he did so.  My heart literally stopped beating.  _That smile…_

“Hah, you wish Ashy-boy.  No, actually I was going to take Umbre-” I started to say before being oh-so-rudely interrupted by Ashy’s bright yellow rodent as it blitzed past me, in an attempt to reach its one true love.

“PIKAAAAA~” Pikachu cried, nuzzling up to the dark-type eeveeloution.

“Breeonn~” Umbreon replied, returning the affectionate gesture.

The two Pokémon, with Eevee tagging along, left to go catch up on the missed times since they had last seen each other.

“Cute, huh?” a voice said to me, pulling me out of my thoughts.  Ash smiled again.  “They really like each other.  Who knows, maybe you’ll have more little Eevee’s running around the house soon.”

“Haha, maybe Ashy-boy.  Maybe.”  At the pet name, the shorter boy in question grew slightly irate, his face starting to turn a light shade of red. 

“Don’t call me that,” he gritted out through clenched teeth.

“Hah, no can do.” I hesitantly reached out to mess up the soft spikes of the younger boy’s coal black hair, and his sienna eyes screamed murder.  Which only made me laugh.

“Why are you here Ash?” I questioned, still thoroughly surprised at the visit.

“Well, I decided that I’m going to live in Sinnoh, since I’m 19 now, and don’t need to live with my mother.” He said proudly, his chest puffing out.  “In fact, my house is just down the road from here.  It’s practically next door to your lab.”  
My heart rate skyrocketed when he said that.  _Oh,_ he _bought the house for sale next to the lab.  Well… crap._   I silently cursed.

“Maybe I’ll even stop by the lab and say hi, or annoy you, or help with the Pokémon.” He said sweetly, looking at me with hopeful and absolutely irresistible eyes.  “You would let me help feed and play with the Pokémon, wouldn’t you **_Gar-bear_** _?_ ” I gritted my teeth at that name.  I hated that name as much as Ash hated me calling him Ashy-boy.

“Fine.  But promise me you will never **ever** use that name again.”

“Sorry, can’t do that.” He chuckled, and waltzed into my home. “I might, though, if you manage to catch me.” And with that, he took off running through my house.

“ASH KETCHUM GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOU RUNNING THROUGH MY HOUSE!” I screeched, past my wits end with this boy. _Why did it have to be him?_ I sighed as I took off at a leisurely pace to go get the overly energetic boy.

Ash crashed into me a few minutes later, and I managed to catch him before he smashed his adorable face into the floor.  But I caught him in a terribly awkward position.  I hoisted him to a standing position, my arms wrapped around his small waist, and his hands holding onto my arms like a vice.

“Thanks.” He muttered, quite embarrassed, his cheeks flooding with a pink flush.

“What happened to your face Ashy?” I teased, knowing full well what happened.

Ash’s eyes widened in horror.  “Nothing, it’s just so hot now that I’ve stopped sprinting and causing havoc in your house,” he said simply, detaching himself from me.

“Mhmm, suuuure.” I said, dropping the subject.  “Hey Ash?  I have a question for you…” I said, looking him in his adorable sienna eyes.

He looked straight into my green eyes.  “Yeah?”

“Uhmmm… I guess I was wondering... since it’s been years since I stopped training, and now that you’re done training for now, I was wondering... Can we forget this whole ‘rival’ thing we’ve got going on?  I think we should be friends again, just like when we were kids...” I asked, looking away, trying to hide the blush I had.  _Curse you, stupid crush._

Ash said nothing for a few seconds, and I got worried.  But suddenly, the smaller boy wrapped his arms around my midsection in a surprisingly strong bear hug and practically screamed, “I thought you’d never ask Gary!”

I laughed, and said, “So I take it that’s a yes?”

“YES!” Ash said quite happily, and it made me feel… warm and fuzzy on the inside.

“Hey Ash?  You’re choking me...” I said, trying to detach the overly-enthusiastic boy from myself.

“Oh.  Sorry.” He said, and let go.

“It’s ok.” I smiled my famous smile at him and said, “Hey, how about you and Pikachu come along with us on our walk?  Plus, I don’t think we’d be able to keep Pikachu away from Umbreon.”

Ash nodded, and then said, “Cover your ears.”  
“Why?” I asked.

“Just do it.” he replied.  And I did.  And thank Arceus I did.

“PIKACHU!” He screamed.  “WE’RE GOING WITH GARY, UMBREON, AND EEVEE ON THEIR WALK!”

Holy crap that kid is loud.  He should be an Exploud.  I grumbled quite loudly as we waited for the three Pokémon to appear, and then headed out the door.

* * *

It was around dinner time when the five of us returned to my house.  Ash asked if he could spend the night here at my house.  I looked at him like he had three heads.

“Why?  You have a house just down the road Ash.”

“Yeah, but you see, there’s nothing in it... My mom refuses to send over all my stuff and I haven’t gone shopping for some new furniture yet...”  
“Ashy-boy,” I groaned, “We should have done that today instead of going to the park or even training your Pokémon, or transferring all of them here, which by the way, you’ll be taking care of their needs.  I have the research Pokémon to take care of, as well as mine own from my trainer days.  Why didn’t you say you needed new furniture?!”

“Hah, whoops.  Guess it slipped my mind.” Ash said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head like he always does when he apologizes.

I rolled my eyes noticeably, and Ash stuck his tongue out and wiggled it.  Shaking my head and trying not to laugh, I said, “Fine, you can stay.  You can sleep in the guest bedroom next to mine.  We do have a connected bathroom, though.  It was all I could get.”

Ash cried, “Yay!  Thanks Gary!  I promise you won’t regret it.  And I’ll go furniture shopping tomorrow.  Hey, can we get pizza for dinner?”

“Only if you go pick it up.  And I’ll come help you shop tomorrow.  Arceus knows you’ll need it.” I said.  “I’m gonna move Umbreon’s bed down here.  She and Pikachu can sleep down here.  I’ll keep Eevee with me.”

Ash nodded, and said, “Pikachu!  Detach yourself from Umbreon and come with me to get pizza!  Oh, do you have a lot of ketchup?” He asked me.

“Nope.  Why don’t you go out and get that too while you wait for the pizza?  I just like cheese, by the way.  You can make it half cheese, half whatever the hell you want, okay?”

“Mhmm got it.  Let’s go Pikachu!”  
“Pikaaaa...” Pikachu said sadly, giving Umbreon a lick on the forehead, before slowly following Ash.

“Come on girls.” I said, picking up Eevee, “Let’s move Umbreon down here.”

* * *

I crawled into bed, yawning hugely.  Eevee snuggled up on the pillow next to me, saying, “Vee~” and then promptly falling into a deep slumber.  I chuckled.

“Goodnight Eevee.” I whispered, and then also fell asleep, dreaming about the boy in the room next to me.

* * *

However, those dreams were interrupted.

“Gary?” a soft voice called out, shaking me gently from my slumber.

I groaned, “What Ash?”  
“I had a nightmare from when I was in Unova... I tell you about it tomorrow.  But now I can’t sleep, and Pikachu is knocked out cold with Umbreon downstairs.  Can I, uh, sleep here with you?”

I was wide awake now.  I looked at him, totally surprised.  “Uhmm, yeah sure.  Hold on.”  I gently grabbed a sleeping Eevee and shifted her position on the bed, and then said, “There.”  Oh, the advantages of having a queen sized bed.

Ash whispered a hushed thanks, and then settled into the bed next to me.  I then realized, _Woah.  He’s not wearing a shirt._   His bare flesh burned with heat that seared through the thin fabric of my shirt.  He quietly whispered, “Goodnight Gary.”

I looked back at him, and paused for a second, and then whispered, “’Night Ashy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo longest chapter yet  
> I'll see y'all this Sunday!


	4. I Can Only Assume

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ignore me as I shamefully post this here and leave >.>  
> high school sucks kids  
> this chapter had been written very short notice so it kinda sucks OTL i'll probs redo it later

I felt the presence of something warm beside me, and I held it closer.  It snuggled into my chest, sighing contentedly.  I just assumed it was either Eevee or Umbreon.  The warmth from the thing lulled me back into a deep sleep.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open in what seemed a short while later, the bright sun once again blinding me.  I yawned, and tried to stretch, only to realize that I couldn’t move much.  _What the…?_   I looked down, and saw Ash snuggled into my chest, our legs tangled in a giant knot.  Eevee was in a corner of the bed, pretending to be asleep while trying to not let her laughter show.

“Eevee, shut up.” I hissed.  I tried to detangle the small boy from me, and I was only greeted with a loud snore and a tighter grip.  “Damn,” I swore quietly, trying to avoid waking up the sleeping boy.  Since I knew that I wouldn’t be able to detangle us without him being awake, I took the time to admire the sleeping youth in front of me.  _He looks so peaceful when he’s asleep.  Almost with child-like innocence.  It’s so adorable…  But I know he’s never going to feel the same about me, ever.  But I can always try, right?_   I smiled to myself, knowing that I would try get my way.  That’s what stubbornness does to you.  Funny things also.  My eyes wandered off the sleeping angel’s face and towards the ceiling.

“Garryy…. Help…. HELP!” I was alerted by Ash’s cries and my eyes snapped down to his once peaceful face, now wrinkled with agitation.  “Gary!” he cried again, clearly distraught.  I lay, frozen, unsure what to do.  Should I wake him?  Or should I let the dream pass?  But as soon as my name passed through his lips, as a whimper more or less, I had made up my mind.

“Ashy.” I said, shaking his shoulder gently.  “Wake up Ash.”

“No.  Five more minutes Cilan.  Five more minutes…” he trailed off with a yawn, and his cheek snuggled into my chest even more.

I chuckled.  “No, Ash.  I’m not this Cilan guy.  It’s me, Gary, and it’s…” I looked at my alarm clock, “Almost 11 in the morning.  We slept through breakfast.”  And I’ll be damned, the mention of missing breakfast woke him up faster than a shock from Pikachu could.  Unfortunately for both of us, his forehead crashed into the bottom of my jaw with a loud, clean crack.

“Owwww…” Ash whined, not noticing the fact that we were still tangled up together.

“Damn it Ash, that hurt!” I said indignantly.  “Oh, and by the way, mind untangling yourself from me?”  I didn’t hesitate to sound dry at all.  
  
“Wha… oh.  CRAP!” Ash looked horrified, a slight pink color filling his cheeks.  “Sorry.” He muttered, having turned away from me.

“Hah, it’s fine Ash.  But yes, we did miss breakfast.  So get your lazy ass outta bed and get ready.  I did promise you we were going furniture shopping today.”  Ash gave me a terse nod, his eyes trying to avoid mine.   _Funny.  If I didn’t know better, I would say that Ash’s genuinely embarrassed about the situation, as if he has a crush on me…_   I shook my head and said, “I claim my shower first.”

* * *

“How about this one, Ash?  It’s made out of ash wood.  Get what I did there?” I asked, elbowing the smaller boy in the ribs.  He just rolled his eyes, and moved onto the next dresser, staring longingly at its oak wood surface.  “That one’s made out of oak, Ash.”

“I know, I like oak wood.  Pretty color, and makes for nice looking furniture.”

“Thinking about me?  Hah, Ash.  I didn’t know I was _that_ much of an influence on your life,” I said, sniggering quite loudly, especially when Ash’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“NO!” he practically shouted, glaring at me.  
  
“Hey, calm yourself down.” I held my hands up, shaking my head.  “Sheesh.  If you want that one, we can get it.  I think there was a matching night table too.”  Ash just nodded, falling unusually silent.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, slightly worried.  “Are you mad at me for what I said?  I was only kidding.”

“No,” Ash sighed, “It’s not that.  Just drop it, ok?”  
  
“Mad about missing breakfast?” I teased, smiling.  I was given an eye roll and a tongue wag in return.  “How about this?” I said.  “I’ll buy you ice cream when we’re done shopping.”  I gently and hesitantly put one of my hands on Ash’s shoulder.  “’Kay?” I asked.

“Yeah, thanks Gary.”  Ash flashed me one of his trademark smiles that made my heart stop. I smiled back.

“Let me go get someone who works here – we gotta tell them what furniture you wanna buy.”

* * *

“Well, Ashy, that was fun, wasn’t it?  See, I’m not all that bad.  I don’t bite.” I grinned.

“Suuure.” Ash said, smiling back.  I snapped my teeth at him, pretending like I was going to bite him.  Ash faked a look of horror, grinning like a Cheshire cat the whole time.

“Hurry up, Ashy, I wanna get home.” I said, my tone changing from a jovial one to a tired one.

“Alright, alright, sheesh.  Quit your whining Gary.” Ash replied, rolling his eyes as he threw away his now-empty ice cream cup.  We walked back onto the path, wandering slightly as I made my way home.

“Hey, Gary?  Since my furniture isn’t going to come until tomorrow, am I allowed to sleep at your house again tonight?” Ash questioned, avoiding my gaze.

“As long as you stay in your own bed.” I joked, cracking a smile.  “Of course you can.”  
  
“Thanks.”  Ash said, turning to face me, and walked backwards. 

“If you trip and fall flat on your ass, know I’m just gonna laugh mine off,”  I said.

“Sooo reassuring.” Ash said sarcastically.  I moved in front of him to unlock my door, and after that, he butted his way between me and my front door, entering first, still walking backwards.

I wish I could have warned him – before we both knew what the heck was happening, Ash was flat on his back, spread eagle, tripped by a very evil looking Umbreon.  I soon fell after, thanks to Eevee.  Also thanks to Eevee’s ‘ingenious’ plan, I fell straight on top of him.  In the most goddamn awkward position to date.  

“Uhhh…” we both said, avoiding eye contact.  My cheeks flared up, and I was sure they were a crimson color.

“Sorry about that… they can be a bit evil at times.” I said, not moving a muscle, waiting for him to push me off.  I was still someone frozen, thanks to the shock.  

“’S ok.”  Ash mumbled, avoiding my gaze for a second, before something I’d never imagined would happen did just that.

He reached up and gently grabbed the sides of my face, turning it so I was facing him.  He exhaled loudly, before his forehead touched mine in a very cute gesture.  He whispered, “Your eyes… they’re so breathtaking.”  But as soon as it started, he let go, realizing what he had done, and shoved me off of him.  “Sorry.” He muttered, quite embarrassed based on the red color of his face, and then bolted upstairs, locking both his bedroom door, and the door that led into his room from the Jack-and-Jill bathroom, from what I could tell.

“Well,” I said out loud, exhaling a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.   _Maybe he_ DOES _have a crush on me…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well there's the chapter!  
> y'all thought there was gonna be kissing didn't you? haha not yet >:]  
> so I'm thinking of doing a homestuck oneshot/fic so if you have any pairing requests or just fic ideas drop me a message here or at my [tumblr](http://fandomsandanimes.tumblr.com)!


	5. I Really Want to Love Somebody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeez-us i hate school orz

I really didn’t see Ash for the rest of the day.  I didn’t really have a chance to talk to him either.  The only time I saw him was at dinner.  He looked like a mess when he came down – pale skin, messy hair, red eyes.  I cocked my head slightly to look at him.  _Had he been crying?_ I hoped not.  He refused to look at me after that… He kept his head down all throughout dinner, and stayed silent.  I did too, and it felt uncomfortable.  Even the Pokémon were silent.  The normally attention-seeking Eevee was quiet and kept to herself.  _As terrible as this sounds, I hope she feels bad for what she did._

When Ash and I finished eating, we silently took our dishes to the sink.  We both reached the stainless steel sink at the same time, and we both paused at the same time.  There was maybe half an arm’s length between me and the raven haired boy in front of me – the closest we had been since Eevee’s “ingenious” idea.  He looked up again, and our eyes met.

“Ash,” I whispered, hoping to get his attention, but he just turned and went to go upstairs.  I grabbed his upper arm.  “Ash,” I said again, a bit louder, but still quiet.  “Please.  Talk to me.”  The beautiful boy in front of me shook his head and mouthed the word no.  “Ash.  Please.” I begged the boy in front of me to talk to me just so I could hear his sweet voice again, his beautiful laugh, see his face light up.  It hurt me to see him like this – so sad, so depressed looking.  Again, he just shook his head, refusing once again to look at me.  “Ash Ketchum, you are going to talk to me whether you want to or not.  So it would be nice if you actually tried so I didn’t have to force you to sit there and talk to you,” I commanded, and then softened my voice, saying, “Please Ashy.  We need to work this out.  I-I-It hurts me to see you so sad looking.  It’s not normal for you.  Please.”

“Why should I?” came a quiet voice.  “Tell me Gary, why should I talk to you?  What good will come out of it?”  He still refused to look at me.  “I know you just want to make fun of me for what I said.  I can just tell.”

“I don’t want to Ashy.  I want to just talk to you.  If you looked at me, you’d see that.”

“No.  I don’t believe you.”

“GODDAMMIT ASH!” I almost yelled.  “I’m serious!  Alright?  I am not going to make fun of you.  I want to talk to you.  I want you to look at me right now, though, so we can have this conversation.  Or I am going to drag you against your will to my room to talk.” I wasn’t joking around too.  Either way, I was going to talk to him.  No matter what.  At that point in time, I noted that the Pokémon vacated the kitchen.  _Interesting._

Ash didn’t budge.  _Alright he wants to do this the hard way._   I gently grabbed the sides of his face, and turned them to face me.  “There, that wasn’t hard now was it?” I asked, not letting go of his face, for the fear he would turn away.  I wanted him to continue looking at me.  I wanted to stare into his brown eyes forever.  And then I noticed the tears spilling out of those beautiful eyes.  I gently wiped them away, soothing the younger boy with “Don’t cry Ash.  Please.  Don’t cry.”  This only caused him to cry more.  So I did what I used to do with Daisy or any person I knew who was crying – I pulled Ash into a tight hug, not letting go.  I rested my chin on his head, still soothing him.  Eventually, I felt his skinny arms wrap around my midsection and him bury his head into my shirt and chest, tears still falling.  “Shhh it’s alright Ash.”

* * *

I’m not sure how long we were standing there hugging, but it felt like a hell of a long time.  Eventually, the tears stopped, but the hug didn’t.  It just felt… so good and so right to be holding Ash like that.  I didn’t want to let go.  But I loosened my arms slightly when I heard a small “Gary?” come from the beautiful creature in front of me.

“Hmm?” I asked as Ash’s head appeared and looked at me.

“… I’m sorry for what happened with the whole tripping thing.  I just… I have no idea what I wa-”

“It’s alright Ash.  Just stop there.  I didn’t mind it at all.” I had stopped him in the middle of his sentence with a finger on his lips.  I moved it, and leaned my head down to rest our foreheads together, looking him straight in his sienna eyes.  “It’s alright,” I whispered, not moving my eyes.  We were so close in that moment.  I could hear Ash’s heartbeat speed up and his breath catch for a second at the simple yet romantic position we were in at the moment.  I almost smiled at him, because I found it funny and yet adorable at the same time.

I’m sure we could of stayed like that forever if it weren’t for a loud “PIKAAA” behind Ash.  We slowly separated, still not breaking eye contact, and still breathing hard.  He must have realized what I had done (finally), because his face and neck flushed a light pink.  I’m sure my face was the same color also, and I could feel the heat radiating off of it.  I finally broke eye contact to look at the clock.  “Oh.  It’s 10:00.”  _Oh my Arceus, we were like that for almost… 3 and a half hours.  From when we sat down to eat dinner to now was 3 1/2 hours.  Wow._  

“I’m gonna go to sleep now Gary,” Ash said.  I could already see his skin returning to its normal color, and that made me happy.

“Alright Ash.  Goodnight.”  As an afterthought, I said, “If you have another nightmare, you can come into my room, okay?”  A simple nod was what I received, as Ash was in the middle of a huge yawn.  He left the room, and climbed up the stairs.  I heard the soft click of the door shutting, and I leaned against the wall, running my hands through my hair.  I took a deep breath to control my breathing and heartbeat.  _Did that really just happen?  I don’t know, but it felt so right, so reall.  I want him to stay.  Here, in my house, forever._

 

* * *

 

 

_I know your inside, you’re feeling so hollow._

_And it’s a hard pill for you to swallow._

_But if I fall for you, I’ll never recover._

_If I fall for you, I’ll never be the same._

_I really want to love somebody._

_I really want to dance the night away._

_I know we’re only half way there,_

_But if you take me all the way, you take me all the way._

_I really want to touch somebody._

_I think about you every single day._

_I know we’re only half way there,_

_But if you take me all the way, you take me all the way._

_You’re such a hard act for me to follow._

_Love me today, don’t leave me tomorrow, yeah._

_But if I fall for you, I’ll never recover._

_If I fall for you, I’ll never be the same._

_I really want to love somebody._

_I really want to dance the night away._

_I know we’re only half way there,_

_But if you take me all the way, you take me all the way._

_I really want to touch somebody._

_I think about you every single day._

_I know we’re only half way there,_

_But if you take me all the way, you take me all the way._

_Oh, oh, oh oh._

_I don’t know where to start, I’m just a little lost._

_I wanna feel like we never gone, ever stopped._

_I don’t know what to do, I’m right in front of you._

_Asking you to stay, you should stay, stay with me tonight, yeah._

_I really want to love somebody._

_I really want to dance the night away._

_I know we’re only half way there,_

_But if you take me all the way, you take me all the way._

_I really want to touch somebody._

_I think about you every single day._

_I know we’re only half way there,_

_But if you take me all the way, you take me all the way._

_Oh, oh, oh, oh._

_You take me all the way, you take me all the way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't stay with a consistent updating schedule after I post what I already have  
> so yeah  
> love you all <3 :*  
> p.s. I don't own the song, Maroon 5 does
> 
> ~ Glass


	6. I Need Your Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash POV of the last chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FUCK GUYS I LIVE  
> I'm so sorry orz life sucks yeah? anyways hello from college bitches I have a chapter I wrote so long ago

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon unfortunately ):

* * *

**ASH** **’** **S POV** **–**

“Well Ashy, that was fun, wasn’t it?  See, I’m not all that bad.  I don’t bite,” came a voice from beside me, from the taller beauty I once called my rival.  The smile that he had was so genuine, and it made my heart stutter for just a second.  I didn’t even notice he called me ‘Ashy’, his stupid (yet cute…) pet name for me.

“Suuure,” I reply, grinning also.  _I like this.  No hard feelings, no teasing.  Just being friends…_

Gary snapped his teeth at me, as if he was going to bite me.  I tried to fake a look of horror, but my huge smile was making that a bit hard to do.  I continued to eat my ice cream as we tried not to die of laughter.

“Hurry up Ashy, I wanna get home,” Gary said a few seconds later, his face betraying how tired he was.  He seemed to be whining.

“Alright, alright, sheesh.  Quit your whining Gary,” I said, and threw in a dramatized eye roll for emphasis as I tossed my now-empty ice cream cup into the nearest trash can.  We continued on the path we were on, meandering slightly, as we went back to his house.

A thought occurred to me.  _My furniture isn’t going to be at my new house until tomorrow._   “Hey, Gary?  Since my furniture isn’t going to come until tomorrow, am I allowed to sleep at your house again tonight?”  I tried not to make eye contact, because it was an awkward question.  _Oh get over yourself Ash.  You and Gary are friends.  Nothing more.  It’s not that bad of a question._

“As long as you stay in your own bed,” he joked, smiling.  “Of course you can.”

I wanted to die at his joke, but I managed to act normally.  “Thanks,” I said, turning to face him, and I decided that I wanted to walk backwards.  So that’s what I did.

“If you trip and fall flat on your ass, know I’m just gonna laugh mine off,” Gary said, giving me a curious look.

“Sooo reassuring,” I retorted sarcastically, not paying attention to where we were.  I almost walked smack into the door to his house.  He shoved me out of the way to unlock the door.  Once the brunette accomplished this, I shoved him out of the way and went into his house, walking backwards still.  Huge mistake.

I have no idea what happened.  I’m guessing Umbreon or Eevee or even Pikachu tripped me as I was walking backwards, and I was flat on my back in a matter of seconds, the wind knocked out of me from the force of the fall.  Not even two seconds later, Gary was on top of me.  Like, right on top of me.  How awkward.

“Uhhh…” came from both of our mouths as we both avoided the other’s eyes.  I felt my face burning up, most likely tomato red.  If Iris were here, I’d never hear the end of this.

“Sorry about that… they can be a bit evil at times,” the beautiful being on top of me said, not moving at all.  _Does he like this?_

“’S ok,” I mumbled, still avoiding his mesmerizing leaf green eyes, before I did something I never would have dared to do before.  I reached up and gently cradled the sides of his face, turning it softly so we were looking at each other.  I let out a huge breath that I hadn’t know I was holding, and then slowly brought our foreheads together, to be even closer to his stunning eyes.  “Your eyes… they’re so breathtaking,” I whispered, not breaking eye contact.  But then it hit me.  _WHAT AM I DOING?!  HE DOESN’T LIKE ME LIKE I LIKE HIM!!! I just practically let him know I like him!!!  CRAPPPP!_   I shoved him off of me, muttering a quick “Sorry” before bolting upstairs, tears threatening to spill.  Cilan could have cooked an egg off my face if it was as hot as it felt.  When I made it to the guest room, I locked the door from the bathroom to my room, and my room door as well, before collapsing on the bed, silent tears tracing a path down my face.

* * *

I stayed locked in the room for the rest of the afternoon, just crying a silent river.  _He’s going to be disgusted with me.  He’s gonna kick me out, he’s not gonna want to be my friend anymore.  He’s probably going to make me move my Pokémon to either be with Professor Rowan or back to Professor Oak.  Everything is going to fall apart.  Dammit Ash what have you done?!_   I almost ripped out a huge chunk of my hair in frustration, the pain from that temporarily numbing the pain I felt from messing up everything with Gary.  I didn’t let Pikachu in – I felt bad about that, but I really needed to be alone.

I think I eventually fell asleep, because I don’t remember anything between then and hearing Gary knocking on my door softly.  “Ash?  Please come down for dinner.”  Then I heard his footsteps retreating, down the stairs.  A small whine from Pikachu outside the door could be heard, as if he was enforcing Gary’s words and begging me to go eat.  I slowly got up and went to the mirror on the dresser.  Arceus I was a mess.  But I didn’t care anymore.  I attempted to fix my hair but it wouldn’t work, so I left it be.  I unlocked the door, and looked down at Pikachu.  I gave him a small smile to show I was ok, although I wasn’t.

When I was downstairs, I briefly met Gary’s eyes, before looking done.  Although I said I didn’t care, I didn’t want him seeing me like this.  I refused to look at him, or even speak.  We ate in silence.  It was awkward, so horribly awkward.  Even the normally loud Pokémon were quiet.

When I had finished eating, I got up to go ditch my dishes in the sink, and then was going to continue to wallow in self-pity in my room.  I didn’t notice that Gary had gotten up at the same time, but I guess he had, because we both were at the sink in the exact same moment.  We both faltered for a heartbeat – there was maybe a distance the size of Pikachu in between us.  I looked up, and our eyes met.

“Ash.” My name was whispered, no doubt an attempt to get my attention, but I didn’t want to talk to him.  _He’s going to kick me out for sure._ I turned and was about to leave and head back to my ‘sanctuary’, so-to-speak, but I felt him grab my upper arm.  I stiffened at the contact, both wanting and not wanting it.  “Ash,” he said, still talking quietly.  “Please, talk to me.”  _Do I want to?  I don’t know…_   However, I found myself shaking my head.  I wanted to say no, but after crying for hours and not talking, my voice wouldn’t work, so I opted to mouth the word instead.  “Ash.  Please,” he begged.  I could tell he was desperate to talk to me, but why would I if I knew what was going to happen?  I shook my head no again, and refused to make eye contact with the being that I found to be so attractive.  _Why?  Why do I?_

He adopted a sterner tone and commanded, “Ash Ketchum, you are going to talk to me whether you want to or not.  So it would be nice if you actually tried so I don’t have to force you to sit there and talk to me.”  His voice immediately softened as he said, “Please Ashy.  We need to work this out.  I-I-It hurts me to see you so sad looking.  It’s not normal for you.  Please.”  _Whoa.  Did he just stutter?  Or say that me being sad hurts him?  And why that pet name AGAIN?_  

My voice started to function then, and I replied, “Why should I?  Tell me Gary, why should I talk to you?  What good will come out of it?”  I still didn’t want to catch those stunning green eyes.  “I know you just want to make fun of me for what I said.  I can just tell.”  I tried not to sound so cold, but how I said it didn’t matter, because it would still sound cold.

“I don’t want to Ashy.  I just want to talk to you.  If you looked at me, you’d see that.”

I found myself saying, “No.  I don’t believe you.”

“GODDAMMIT ASH!” Gary yelled, startling me.  I’ve never seen or heard him yell or at least raise his voice out of anger.  Ever.  “I’m serious!  Alright?  I am not going to make fun of you.  I want to talk to you.  I want you to look at me right now, though, so we can have this conversation.  Or I am going to drag you against your will to my room to talk.”  _WHAT?!_ I didn’t move, because I was shocked. 

Suddenly, I felt his hands grab the sides of my face gently and turn it to face him.  _He’s… doing what I did to him…  Why?_   I was confused.  “There, that wasn’t hard now was it?” he questioned, not letting go.  The eye contact continued, and for some reason, my vision became blurred as salty tears threatened to spill over, which they eventually did.  He moved one hand to wipe them away, and I started to cry harder, but I don’t know why.  “Don’t cry Ash.  Please.  Don’t cry.”  The soothing words only made it worse as the amount of tears I shed grew.  He again surprised me by pulling me into a hug, my head resting on his chest.  I eventually hugged him back, soaking his shirt in my tears, but he didn’t seem to care.  _The gentle creature I knew growing up… he’s back._   I felt his chin rest on the top of my head as he continued to murmur, “Shhh it’s alright Ash.”

* * *

I’m not sure how long we were like that.  Even when I stopped crying, he held onto me, not letting go.  _I like this.  I don’t want him letting go._   But I didn’t know what time it was, so I said, “Gary?”

I felt his arms loosen slightly, giving me some space to look up at him.  “Hmm?” he asked.

“… I’m sorry for what happened with the whole tripping thing.  I just… I have no idea what I wa-” I was cut off by one of his fingers pressing against my lips to stop me.   He moved it, and went to rest his forehead with mine.  _Oh.  My.  Arceus.  This isn’t happening.  Is it?  Or am I asleep?_  

“It’s alright,” he whispered, not breaking eye contact.  I didn’t want him to either.  _We are so close right now.  And this time it’s willing._   I felt my heart thud dully against my ribcage, and my breath get stuck in my throat.  _Willingly…_   Now I really didn’t want to move.  I wanted to stay like that all day, every day.  But apparently someone else had other ideas.

“PIKAAA,” came a high-pitched whine behind me.  That was our cue to detach ourselves from the other, but not for the eye contact to break.  Both of us had labored breathing.  Suddenly, what just happened and what it could have meant became obvious to me, and I felt my face and neck heat up slightly.  I could see his face was similar to how mine felt.  He finally tore his eyes away from mine, much to my disappointment, to look at his Snorelax clock on the wall.

“Oh.  It’s 10:00.”

Oh wow, we’d been like that for such a long time.  _How long, though?_   “I’m gonna go to sleep now Gary,” I said, growing tired quickly.

“Alright Ash.  Goodnight," he replied then added “If you have another nightmare, you can come into my room, okay?”  I yawned, nodding as I did so.  I silently left the room and went upstairs.  I shut the door softly, then collapsed against it.  _Oh wow.  What just happened?  Because that happened, now I’m convinced he likes me.  Gary, I need your love._

> _I need your love._
> 
> _I need your time._
> 
> _When everything_ _´_ _s wrong,_
> 
> _You make it feel right._
> 
> _I feel so high._
> 
> _I go alive._
> 
> _I need to be free with you tonight._
> 
> _I need your love._
> 
> _I need your love._
> 
> _…_
> 
> _Now I_ _´_ _m dreaming, will I ever find you now?_
> 
> _I walk in circles, but I´ll never figure out_
> 
> _What do I mean to you, do I belong?_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeesh that took forever for an update haha right wow sue me?  
> anyways love y'all I have at least another 2 chapters written I think?  
> pls love me and accept me  
> see y'all again soon  
> ps I don't own the song lol

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I had this on fanfiction.net and I decided to post it here and continue it when the mood strikes me!  
> Yes I know this chapter is hella short >.> pardon me for that  
> Let me know if you have any ideas for stories or anything!  
> Check me out at one of my tumblrs: http://fandomsandanimes.tumblr.com and drop me a fic request or one shot request!  
> Also I haven't decided whether this will have sexy times yet or not, but its rated M for language because I can't hold back my swearing as much as I would like OTL


End file.
